I'm a food writer, and my focus here is on the business of food. I'm interested in what we eat, why we eat it, where it comes from, and how it gets to us. I'm just as fascinated in new, cutting edge food innovations as I am in ancient culinary techniques. I used to be the Food Editor at Fresh, a leading glossy food magazine in the UK. Since my move to New York City in 2008, I’ve been writing freelance from my apartment in the West Village. I’m a Contributing Editor at Fine Cooking, I’ve written for Epicurious, TheAtlantic.com, Prevention.com and Saveur amongst other publications and websites, and I have a column on Slate called the Food Examiner. I’ve been on NPR, Martha Stewart Living Radio, and WNYC Radio talking about food -related…stuff. My other blog is called Spade & Spatula (www.spadespatula.com)and is geared towards city-dwellers who love to grow-their-own and cook-their-own. I published my first cookbook called Chop, Sizzle & Stir in 2009, and am working on my second. Follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/NadiaArumugam

Enjoy a late-night bowl of ice cream? Confident you’re consuming a “sensible” number of calories having surveyed the back-of-package labeling? If that’s you, the FDA is about to drop a sugar, fat and calorie-laden bomb all over your midnight delusions.

As part of its proposal to update the Nutrition Facts label that’s found on most food packages in the United States, as unveiled by First Lady Michelle Obama on Thursday, the FDA is revising serving sizes to reflect how much Americans actually eat in one sitting today. The current serving sizes were put in place in 1994, and there’s no question that appetites have grown since then.

Currently, the labeling on a pint of ice cream claims to provide four servings; that’s just half a cup a serving. The new labeling doubles the portion sizes. A pint will provide only two portions since that amount is a more genuine representation of how much is scooped into a bowl at a time. Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie flavor currently features 270 calories a serving. If the FDA’s changes are implemented, the calorie count shoots up to 540 calories a serving. Less sensible, more sensational.

Still, at least you’ll no longer be mystified as to why your jeans no longer fit.

In another example of more realistic serving sizes, both 12 ounce and 20 ounce bottles of drink will equal one serving (at present, 20 ounce bottles claim to provide 2.5 servings), since people typically consume both drink sizes in one sitting. The calorie estimate will increase by 50 percent or 150 percent accordingly and will help people realistically calculate and track their calorie intake. And consumers won’t be able to miss these markers either since the most visible change is that the calorie counts are larger and bolder for greater emphasis.

While most foods and drinks are consumed in greater quantities than the labeling currently admits, this isn’t the case with everything. According to extensive FDA research single-sitting consumption amount for yogurts have shrunk from 8 ounces to 6 ounces and the new labeling will be amended to reflect this.

“For 20 years consumers have come to rely on the iconic nutrition label to help them make healthier food choices,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D. “To remain relevant, the FDA’s newly proposed Nutrition Facts label incorporates the latest in nutrition science as more has been learned about the connection between what we eat and the development of serious chronic diseases impacting millions of Americans.”

The Nutrition Facts label was introduced 20 years ago and the label has not changed significantly since 2006 when information on trans fat had to be disclosed on the label. Manufacturers were successful impelled to reduce partially hydrogenated oils, the main source of trans fat, in many processed food products, says the FDA.

In another significant proposed label change, the panel will feature a separate line for added sugars. This is intended to help consumers differentiate between sugars that are naturally present in foods and sugars that are added in the manufacturing process. The end goal is to have consumers make more healthful choices where they opt for foods with natural sugars from ingredients such as fruit purees or dried fruits.

Additionally, manufacturers have to maintain records for a period of two years so they can prove the difference between natural and added refined sugars if questioned by the FDA.

Nutritionists recommend that we should get only about 10 percent of our calorie intake from sugar. This is equivalent to about 13 teaspoons of sugar per day. On average, Americans get over 42 teaspoons of sugar a day (based on 2,000 calories per day).

To make the nutritional labeling more relevant and more streamlined, the proposal suggests cutting the listing of calories from fat. Experts say this marker can be misleading since type of fat is more significant to health than amount, a consideration of the fact that there are good fats and bad fats. As a reflection of this, “TotalTotal Fat,” “Saturated Fat,” and “Trans Fat” will still be required on the label.

“For 20 years consumers have come to rely on the iconic nutrition label to help them make healthier food choices,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D. “To remain relevant, the FDA’s newly proposed Nutrition Facts label incorporates the latest in nutrition science as more has been learned about the connection between what we eat and the development of serious chronic diseases impacting millions of Americans.”

The FDA says that it is accepting public comment on the proposed changes for 90 days. Should they be approved, there is no timeline set for when the new requirements will be implemented.

Additional proposed label changes, according to the FDA:

Present “dual column” labels to indicate both “per serving” and “per package” calorie and nutrition information for larger packages that could be consumed in one sitting or multiple sittings.

Require the declaration of potassium and vitamin D, nutrients that some in the U.S. population are not getting enough of, which puts them at higher risk for chronic disease. Vitamin D is important for its role in bone health. Potassium is beneficial in lowering blood pressure. Vitamins A and C would no longer be required on the label, though manufacturers could declare them voluntarily.

Revise the Daily Values for a variety of nutrients such as sodium, dietary fiber and Vitamin D. Daily Values are used to calculate the Percent Daily Value on the label, which helps consumers understand the nutrition information in the context of a total daily diet.

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